SPS Admissions 2023

Thank you for considering the Special Programme in Science (SPS) as part of your university endeavours. SPS offers an exciting multidisciplinary curriculum that encompasses research, active peer-learning, and student mentorship. In many ways, SPS is more than just a classroom; we are a close-knit community that works hard and plays hard!

We are interested in individuals with a passion for science and a dedication to learn. All applicants will be required to go through a 1-hour interview with the SPS mentor body. Through this interview, we hope to understand you better and decide if SPS is the right programme for you.

The application is open only to NUS College of Humanities and Sciences students matriculating in the upcoming academic year (AY 2023/24), and students who have matriculated in AY 2022/23 and have completed all of SP2271, SP2274 and SP2273.

Disclaimer: All Year 1 SPS courses have a pre-requisite of any two passes in the following A level subjects: Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Mathematics/Further Mathematics. SPS students who do not have these pre-requisites or equivalent would need to clear their respective bridging modules, leading to some variations from the SPS Workflow.

Applicants are required to complete the following as part of the SPS Admissions process:

1. Submit Application Form A and Application Form B
2. Attend an interview
3. Confirm their acceptance of the enrolment offer, if one is given

1. The application portal is open till 17 July 2023 6:00 PM [Updated!]
2. Interviews are held between 3 July 2023 and 21 July 2023
3. Results of SPS Admissions are released between 24 and 27 July 2023

All applicants will receive their results via the email address provided in the application form. In the case that the results are released after the university’s course registration exercise, please register for your courses as though you are accepted into SPS (i.e. register for SP2271 and SP2274). Upon acceptance, further instructions on course management will be issued.

In the event that you are not able to register for BOTH SP2271 and SP2274 due to CourseReg issues, please email SCI CourseReg Enquiry (scicr@nus.edu.sg) using your NUS email (exxxxxxx@u.nus.edu) to drop your pre-allocated CHS courses.

Please fill in both Application Form A and Application Form B to complete your application to SPS. Form A is the main application form and Form B is a form for uploading the following supporting documents:

• Passport photograph (JPG/PNG)
• Grades certificate for your degree of highest qualifications (PDF), NRIC/FIN removed or censored (you may do so via Microsoft Edge on windows or Preview on MacOS)

Each applicant is required to attend a 1-hour interview face-to-face at the SPS room (6 Science Drive 2, Block S16, #03-02) OR online via a Zoom Meeting (a web conferencing tool). Details regarding the interview format are as follows:

Interview Format

• The interview will be a group interview consisting of 3-4 applicants.
• The interview will involve a discussion on one of the four popular science articles listed below (the article to be discussed will not be made known to you prior to the interview, so you should read all of them). Understanding of the article, critical thinking skills and scientific knowledge will be assessed. However, you are not required to read up beyond the scope of the article. 

1. A World Without Clouds
   
2. How Animals Color Themselves With Nanoscale Structures
   
3. Ideal Glass Would Explain Why Glass Exists at All
   
4. Swirling Bacteria Linked to the Physics of Phase Transitions
   

• You are allowed to bring notes (written or digital) to the interview.
  

Interview Scheduling